PSacremento, I have read Metzger but not in a long while. Every NT scholarship book I read and biographies of church fathers stress the diversity within the Church. They also stress lack of what became the complete canon in most localities. I can see different insights emerging from different gospels. I pref er think of the church in social political terms with a tiny bit of Holy Spirit for good measure. If you oomph up the Holy Spirit, the current canon as inheirited authority becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. If the books were so recognized and treasured, there would have no need of church councils. A simple scroll could have been circulated with signatures, sort of a petition. Gathering together was very different than G8 meetings today.
Witnesses and Consensus of Bible Scholarship
by Band on the Run 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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wobble
The debate as to what is canonical is not finished yet, there is no one fully accepted canon by all christendom.
As to authorship of individual books,again the debate will continue,as definitive proof is difficult, the works of Paul that most scholars accept as from his mouth (not necessarily pen, he had somone else write for him on occasion) were circulating at a very early date so little doubt is cast on these.
Not all verses/chapters from the books containing genuine Pauline thoughts are accepted.
As to JW's and scholarship, the two words do not belong in the same sentence. They pay scant attention to the progress made in textual criticism and in higher criticism in recent years.
I am old enough to remember when they did not even understand, as Chas Russell did not, what Higher Criticism was, referring to "so called Higher Critics".
They thought "Criticism" was being critical of the Bible, much as they do not understand what a scientific theory is. They would do well to buy and use a good dictionary.
I am not so sure they understand these methods of study today, hence their abysmal grasp of what the Bible actually says.
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Zilgee
Does watchtower talk about history of canonization of the Bible?
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dropoffyourkeylee
Does watchtower talk about history of canonization of the Bible?
Not to my knowledge. Back in the day the SI book was used in the ministry school, and there was a bit of discussion about the canon, but that was years ago. There may be something in the Insight volumes, but it is not likely to find an audience in the current WT meetings.
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Zilgee
So it means that to some extent they support the Catholic Church who decided what is inspired and what is not without making their own research.
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Phizzy
"to some extent they support the Catholic Church" yes, but the Canon they have in the NWT is the Protestant Canon.
They do not want discussion on why they accept a Canon decided by a Church they say does not preach truth, how then can that Canon be chosen by Big J ? How can we know which Books that are included are "inspired" and which rejected ones are not ? if the choice was by False Teachers ?
The above questions might come to the minds of JW's if they discussed why the Canon they accept is the way it is.